Telephone fire-alarm system.



om 0 9 1 s 1 R P A D E T MM E P TELEPHONE FIRE ALARM SYSTEM. APPLICATION mam APR. 9, 1906.

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'Aftamqv No. 884,607. PATENTED APR. 14, 1908. v w. s. MOLEWBE. I

TELEPHONE FIRE ALARM SY8TEM.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 190B- W unjll Mirna-mu Parser orsicn;

WILLIAM s. net-swan, or YARDL Y, PE NS VANIA.

TELEPKONE Fran-ALARM SYSTEM.

Application am s in 9, me. semi No. eiatsc. H

To all whom it may concern:

S. Molinwnn, States, residing at Be it known that LWiLLiAM a citizen of the United Yardley,,in the county of Bucks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Telephone Fire-Alarm System, of which the following is b specification. My invention relates to an improvement in fire alarm systems and the object of my invention is to utilize the ordinary telephone systems now extensively in use,by roviding an attachment to be placed at tie subscribers end of the telephone circuit, by the operation 01' which attachment a distinctive signal will be produced at the central telephone station or exchange indicating to the telephone operator that a fire alarm is being sent by a subscriber, designated by a certain number at the exchange. i

When a subscriber sends a lire alarm over the telephone circuit the attention of the o orator at the telephone exchange is instantly attracted by the lire signal, who without waiting to answer the subserilwr, immediatel calls the subscribers number to the tire ieadquarters.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1. is a disgrammatic view showing the subscribei"s instrument, the instrument at the telephone exchange and my improved signaling instrument; Fig. 2. is a vertical section of the signaling instrument as on line 2-2 Fig. 1.

\ S ecific anon of LattemfIatent.

\ cuit formed by the wires 1 and 2 w Patented April 1%, 1908.

tion A, the the wires 1-2 and the hook 6, which will energized b the batter 7 and li ht the l lamp 8 at tile exchange thus ca 'ng the attention of the operator, who inserts a plug at the point 9 to connect the subscriber with the answering instrument or subscriber with another subscriber. l' 'i hen the operator desires to call a subscriber the bell 10 is rung by the circuit formed by the wires 1 and 2 through the condenser 11.

My improved signaling device described in detail hereinafter, closes the telephone cirthe lamp 8 the same aswhen the hook 6 is raised, but the signaling instrument makes and breaks the circuit in rapid succession causing a continuous flickering of the light 8 indicating to the operator that a fire alarm is being sent by the subscriber.

The signalin 23 an n the casing 12 is provided circuit'wiil be. completed, through to oonnec t the instrument is shown in Figs.

iich lights bearings 13 and 14 having mounted therein a I shaft 15 operated by a crank 16. Said shaft 15 carries a gear wheel 17 which meshes with a smaller gear-wheel 18 mounted on a shaft 19 also mounted in the bearings 13 and 14. The shaft 19 has secured thereon a cam 20 which actson a lever 21 which is pivoted on -the shai t 22 mounted in the bearings 13 and l 14. A spring 23 tends to hold the lever 21 in the ra sed position and against the terminal 24 to which the wire 3 is connected. The

wire 4 is connected to .the lever 21 so that.

drawn on, a larger scale; Fig. 3. is a horizoni when the said lever 21 contacts with the ter-. so

tal section as on line 3-3 Fig. 2; and Fig. 4. ininal .34 the circuit will be closed and light is a'vertical sectional view as on line 4* 1 l the lamp 8 at the exchange. By turning the Fig. 3. crank 16 the cam '20 will be rotated rapidl Referring to the drawings A represents the and cause the lever 21 to vibrate, which w l subscribers telephone instrument andB repmake and break the circuit formed by the 95,

resents the telephone exchange instrument wires 3 and 4 and the main telephone circuit.

which instruments are connected by wires 1 i The handle '25 on the crank 16 is made of and 2 forming the main telephone circuit. 1 heavy material so that it will normally drop (l represents the signaling instrument eonto its lowest osition and bring the cam 20 nected by wires 3 and 4 to the wires 1 and 2 1 into the position shown in Fig. i. which will we forming said main telephone circuit. 'lhe depress the lever '21 and break the contact circuit formed by the wires 3 and 4 is open between the lever 21 and the terminal 24 so when the signaling instrument is out of use that the main telephone circuit will not be so that the main telephone circuit will operal'l ected when the signaling instrument is not ate as ihou li the signaling device were not in use.

connected thereto.

The complete tole hone system is illus' The subscriber may place the signaling instrument at any convenient location, and

traded in Fig. 1. whie i operates in the usual mannei, described briefly as follows: By removing the receiver 5 at the subscribers stalows:

and all the instruments may be connected into one main telephone circuit.

The 0' eration of my invention is as fol- I en a fire alarm is 'to be given the crank -16 of the signaling instrument is turned causing the lever 21 to vibrate rapidly Which makes and breaks the telephone circuit causin the lamp 8 at the telephone exchange to icker continuously as long as the crank 16 is turned. As this signal is entirely different from any other that may be received at the eXc'han e by the o erator, it Will be known at once t at a fire a arm is being sent by' a subscriber having a certain number, say #112, the operator at the telephone exchange calls that number over the telephone line that goes to the fire headquarters.

It will be understood that I do not limit my invention to the exact construction here shown as an electrical device may be employed for making and breaking the telephone circuit to cause a distinctive signal at the exchan e, but the mechanical device is more desira le as it cannot et out of order and is therefore more reliable than an electrical device.

. V Having thus described my invention I forming the tele hone circuit, a terminalg,

connected with t e opposite wire forming said telephone circuit, said lever adapted to contact with said terminal and complete said telephone circuit, a spring to act upon said lever, a cam to actuate said lever against the action of said s ring, ashaft on which said cam is mountec, a gear-wheel on said cam shaft, a driving shaft havin a gear-wheel meshing with the said gear-w eel upon said cam shaft, a crank upon said driving shaft and a weighted handle on said crank to normally stop said cam in a position in which said lever will be out of action.-

Intestimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. MoLEWEE.

Witnesses:

T. SIDNEY CADWALLADER, CARRIE H. MCLEWEE. 

